Barbecue Sauce

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

1. Ketchup + saucetop 1% of all pairs
   Smell alikestrong
   Cooked together1,099 recipes

   Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).

2. Onion + beeftop 7% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together17,092 recipes

   Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).

3. Red wine + vinegartop 10% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together575 recipes

   Shared aroma: sotolon (curry, maple).

4. Beef + red winetop 12% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together1,017 recipes

   Shared aroma: gamma-nonanolactone (coconut, sweet).

5. Onion + vinegartop 14% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together18,226 recipes

   Shared aroma: acetic acid (sour, vinegar).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Butter

Adds fat and richness, and helps soften the onion without browning it.

Onion

Contributes savory depth and body as it softens into the sauce.

Ketchup

Provides the sauce's base, along with tomato sweetness and acidity.

Brown sugar

Adds sweetness and helps the sauce caramelize and thicken slightly as it simmers.

Red wine vinegar

Adds acidity that brightens the sauce and balances its sweetness.

Beef stock

Adds savory liquid that thins the sauce and builds a meaty backbone.

The step that matters

Swap the lemon

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (butter, onion, ketchup, beef, sauce, red wine, vinegar):

1. Grapefits better
2. Applefits better
3. Plumfits about as well
4. Lemonthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against butter, onion, ketchup, beef, sauce, red wine, vinegar. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.